Water Blog

Turn It Down

It's not just the season that's changing. So is the amount of water you need. Since a good portion of your water budget is made up of outdoor use and that outdoor use is calculated based on real-time weather - one of the easiest ways to stay within your budget is to start reducing your sprinkler run times now.

It is a best practice to change your sprinkler program each month to match the weather and water needs of your lawn. This is the best way to stay within budget.

Ideally, lawn watering over a season should follow a bell curve pattern with water use peaking in July. Many people are good at ramping up their lawn watering, but forget to turn it down once temperatures start to decrease. Although temperatures might stay high in August and September it is hotter for a shorter period of time and therefore less water is needed.

An analysis of weather based needs of your lawn and actual water production. Lawns in September need about 50 to 60 percent less water than they do in July, although average water production shows only a 30 percent reduction from July to September. This tells us that many people are still watering their lawns like it is the middle of summer. By watering less, there is a large potential for water savings for the city and for your pocketbook.

Here are three easy ways to make a reduction:

Instead of watering your lawn three days per week, only water one or two days per week and spot water in between.

Reduce your watering times in half. If you water a zone for 15 minutes, only water it for seven.

If your sprinkler clock works on a percentage, turn it down 50 percent.